02.05.10
While schools generally have a strong record on providing safe school meals, Miller has become increasingly concerned by the numerous ground beef recalls from the commercial market and has worked to fully examine the integrity of the system responsible for ensuring that contaminated products are not being served to children.
More than 31 million children participate in the school meal programs each day. Schools are responsible for providing high-quality and safe meals, which includes foods obtained through the USDA commodity program and from the commercial market. In order for schools to fully meet their responsibilities, however, every other supplier in the food chain system – from farm to fork – must also do their part to keep food safe.
Miller has been closely monitoring President Obama’s work to increase coordination and improve communication among the numerous federal agencies with responsibility for ensuring food safety. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in January, he urged the USDA to fully meet its responsibility to keep adulterated ground beef out of commerce and out of schools. Specifically, he asked the Department to identify strategies to reduce the complexity and increase the transparency of the food safety system in a manner that will assure the public that the foods they consume at school are safe.
To see a copy of Miller’s letter, click here.
The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over the federal school meal and child nutrition programs.
USDA Takes Meaningful Steps to Improve School Meal Safety, Says Chairman Miller
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last night, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new efforts to improve the safety and quality of all foods purchased and served in the federal school meal programs, including changes recently called for by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA). These initiatives come after recent investigations by USA Today revealed serious flaws in federal efforts to protect foods served in schools, including revelations that some fast-food chains, like McDonald’s, are stronger in checking the safety of their foods than the federal government. Miller, a leading advocate for school food safety in Congress and the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today applauded these initiatives: “Making sure the foods we serve our schoolchildren are safe must be a top priority for USDA, especially since several rounds of recalled beef have made their way into school cafeterias in recent years. This announcement is a meaningful step toward putting effective systems in place for ensuring the safety, quality and integrity of the foods we serve our students.”While schools generally have a strong record on providing safe school meals, Miller has become increasingly concerned by the numerous ground beef recalls from the commercial market and has worked to fully examine the integrity of the system responsible for ensuring that contaminated products are not being served to children.
More than 31 million children participate in the school meal programs each day. Schools are responsible for providing high-quality and safe meals, which includes foods obtained through the USDA commodity program and from the commercial market. In order for schools to fully meet their responsibilities, however, every other supplier in the food chain system – from farm to fork – must also do their part to keep food safe.
Miller has been closely monitoring President Obama’s work to increase coordination and improve communication among the numerous federal agencies with responsibility for ensuring food safety. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in January, he urged the USDA to fully meet its responsibility to keep adulterated ground beef out of commerce and out of schools. Specifically, he asked the Department to identify strategies to reduce the complexity and increase the transparency of the food safety system in a manner that will assure the public that the foods they consume at school are safe.
To see a copy of Miller’s letter, click here.
The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over the federal school meal and child nutrition programs.
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